Henriet's Blog

Looking for Those Angel Moments

Hi, this is Tamara. Henriët asked me to be a guest author on her blog this week while she's on vacation.

Sandy Asked God for Help 

Last week, Henriët wrote about meeting Sandy on the Sammamish River Trail. Sandy was lost, frustrated and scared - so she asked God for help - and almost instantly, Henriët and I appear on the scene. She later told us that we were "angels" (metaphorically speaking) sent to her by God.

This Angel Business

I'm not going to pretend that I know much about angels except that I believe  God uses them all the time. I also believe that he allows us to experience and witness "Angel Moments" - like he did with Sandy.

The catch is this: You can't really plan on these Angel Moments. Henriët and I had the opportunity to share in a very special experience with Sandy, but we didn't plan it. In fact, the only reason I spotted Sandy in the first place is because I was looking around trying to wiggle out of answering one of Henriët's questions. ;)

Your Angel Moments

Have you had any experiences like this? Have you had the opportunity to be an answer to someone's Prayer of the Moment? If so, please share your story. Thank you Sharon for sharing one of your stories last week.

P.S. Let's Surprise Henriët

If you know Henriët, you know full well that she loves a good surprise. And I kid you not, nothing would surprise or delight her more than coming home to this blog filled with your comments and stories. So please jump in on the conversation sometime during the week.

P.S.S. This Week's Posts

• Wednesday: Have You Been Touched by an Angel?
• Friday: An Informal Poll: What's Your Favorite Post So Far?

Lost and Found

Whether you are a sheep or a person, nothing beats being found when you are lost. The experience of being lost is terrifying. You feel hopeless and helpless.

A rescuer seems like an angel sent from God. And in some ways, he or she is. Rescuers put their own life and activities on hold in order to help those who are lost.

Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd leaving the 99 and searching out the one little lost lamb. The shepherd and the flock were inconvenienced for the sake of the one lost sheep.

Serving the Lost

Often when we think of serving the lost we conjure up images of going to Africa or India. Participating in a short term mission trip to serve lost people is "sexier" and possibly more impressive than helping a lost woman wandering around town.

What constitutes 'lost'? The woman we met on the trail in Redmond was physically lost, she could not find her way home. How many people around us are spiritually lost and can't find their way home? How can we help?

It requires paying attention. It also means going out of your way, deviating from your plans and allowing yourself to be inconvenienced. The task may be simple but you've got to be willing. To seize the opportunities to serve we need to leave margin in our lives or be willing to change our plans.

How's your margin? Are you looking for opportunities? Are you willing for God to interrupt your plans so you can help a lost person?

Matchbox Inventor Dies at Age 87

The co-founder of Matchbox Toys died last Sunday, July 8, 2007.

I love Matchbox cars and still have my nearly 80 cars and trucks--half are sports cars and the other half work equipment. Not very girly I realize, but then I wrote about that side of me back in March. Currently, I drive a sports car and we own an SUV/truck. Some things never change.

As the BBC reported online:

The co-founder of Matchbox Toys, Jack Odell, has died, aged 87.

The engineer moved into the toy trade after joining a die-casting company that had moved into toy production.

His daughter inspired the creation of his most famous invention in 1948 after her school only allowed her to take in an item that would fit into a matchbox.

The miniature green and red road roller he developed for her to show off to friends became the forerunner of the Matchbox Toy empire.

Among the firm's most famous designs was a miniature Coronation coach, made to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's succession to the throne, which sold about a million copies.

Mr Smith died in May 2005, also aged 87.

Saving The Lost

My friend, Tamara, and I were on a walk on the  Sammamish River Trail in Redmond. We'd walked about six out of our eight miles when we spotted her. She was dressed warmly, far too warm for a relatively hot summer day. Her long overcoat and lambskin boots seemed out of place. She seemed hesitant as she walked very slowly. As we passed her Tamara noticed that she was crying. We stopped and approached her gently.

“Are you OK?”

“No,” she started crying harder.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m lost. I don’t know where I am?”

“Where do you need to go?”

The distraught woman robotically spelled out the address, clearly having memorized it for such an occasion. “Do you know where that is?” She repeated the address again in the same manner.

Tamara ran up to the road above the trail to check their current location. I stayed with the woman and reassured her. “We’ll get you back to your home.” They started walking up to the road. Soon we had sorted out where we were and the best route to the address of the group home.

“What’s your name?” we asked the woman.

“Sandy.”

“Hi Sandy, nice to meet you. I’m Henriet.”

“I’m Tamara.”

She smiled through her tears. “Hi.”

“We’ll walk you home just to make sure you don’t get lost again.”

“Thank you.” She started crying again, this time out of relief. “I’ve walked around this town three times.”

“Three times? Didn’t anyone offer to help?” I asked.

“They did but when I followed the direction I got more lost.”

“We’re walking you home.” Sandy smiled then frowned. “My mom is going to call and I’m not home.”

“Will she worry? Are you going to be in trouble?” Tamara asked.

Sandy tried to reassure us. “I’m sure she’ll call back.”

I pulled out my cell phone. “What’s your mom’s number? Let’s call her.”

Sandy stopped and pulled her phonebook out of her heavy bag. She found the number, we dialed her mom, then handed the phone to Sandy. Sandy spent time telling her mom that two ladies were walking her home. She hurried through the phone call to not use to many minutes.

We talked to Sandy and learned that she had lived in group homes for a while, that she’d been hit by a truck when crossing the street several years ago, and that her sister lived in another state. Sandy was pleasant and brave. Her feet were sore and the bag heavy but she trudged on glad to have the escort.

Sandy told us that she had asked God for help when she was lost and saw us as angels sent by God. We were just glad to be able to do something so useful. On the way back to our cars we debriefed our walk and celebrated that we could live out the love of Jesus to a lost person. We recognized that it would have been easy to keep walking and not stop to ask Sandy what was wrong? Opportunities to serve are everywhere but you have to look. This experience taught me to keep my eyes open for opportunities to show God's love.

Mom's Taxi?

Hitching a ride with Mom. Just an inspirational picture...wishing you a happy Sunday!

Quote on Significance

Robert S. McGee wrote a book called Search for Significance. The subtitle of the book is "Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes." Did you ever wonder how God views you?

In this wonderful book, McGee addresses four traps--each of us deals with one or more of these issues:

• The perfection trap
• The approval addiction
• The blame game
• Shame

Read the quote from the book that changed my life:

I am "deeply loved, totally forgiven, fully pleasing, accepted, and complete in Christ" because of what He has done on my behalf.

When I worked through the book, I said this to myself, out loud, two or three times a day.

How's your significance? What do you believe about your worth? If you're struggling, try telling yourself the truth that you are deeply loved, totally forgiven, fully pleasing, accepted and complete in Christ. At first it may seem like nonsense but embracing this truth will set you free. It did me.

Happy Fourth!

Troops in Iraq Take Citizenship Oath

"Morning Edition, July 4, 2007 · A July 4 ceremony in Iraq sees 161 soldiers serving there become naturalized citizens of the United States. Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq, presided. "

How appropriate for these soldiers to confirm their commitment to this country on Independence Day.

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, celebrates the birth of the United States. July 4, 1776 is the day that representatives from the 12 colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence. 

"The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 4, 1776. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously, but secretly, for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 2. The Congress reworked the text of the Declaration until a little after eleven o'clock, July 4, when the twelve colonies voted for adoption and released a copy signed only by John Hancock, President of the Congress, to the printers. (The New York delegation abstained from both votes.)" From Wikipedia.

This declaration spelled freedom for the 13 colonies from British rule. We celebrate this freedom that came at a high price to many who believed in the ideals of a free society--free from oppression.

Today many view this Holiday as the start of their summer  vacation. Lots of us will watch parades or attend baseball games or enjoy hot dogs and barbecues. Fireworks will cap of this day for most of us--whether we see them live, on TV or set them off ourselves. Different people and even companies celebrate the Fourth; Google celebrated with a new logo:

Happy 4th of July. Savor your freedom, it's a privilege and a responsibility.

Princess Diana Remembered

I remember the day that I heard the news. August 31, 1997--Princess Diana had died in a car crash in Paris. It seemed like a bad joke that would be retracted shortly. It never was.

Though I never met her, like so many others, I felt an affinity  to her. They dubbed her the People's Princess and she was--even as a non-Brit, she seemed like my Princess too.

She married in 1981; I married in 1981. She was 19; I was 18. Her story and life were quite different, but she seemed real, likable and one of us. I felt a connection to her.

The news from Paris--it could not be true. Someone made a mistake. Princess Diana gone... After 10 years, I still feel that way. I want the story to come out different.

Yesterday, Fred and I watched the interview with Prince William and Prince Harry about their mom on NBC. The interview was followed by the charity memorial concert for Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday--10 years after the crash that took her life.

Then we watched the movie, The Queen. It was a Diana filled day--we commemorated her in our own way. I still miss her.